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Exactly why I want to be here and not alone with your brother, Taylor thought to herself. “Well, let’s see what Henry says. Then we can go from there.”
“Good idea. If that won’t work, we can just get you guys a different place,” Marty said, like it was a new tissue, no big deal.
“Okay, I think I’m dry,” Marty said, surveying her nails. “I’m off to organize your clothes and give you two some alone time,” she announced with a wink, and then she sprang away.
As Marty made her way into the house, Taylor locked eyes with Derrick. “This is going to hurt people.”
“What is?”
“All these lies,” Taylor hissed at him.
“We aren’t lying,” Derrick scoffed, causing Taylor’s eyes to bug out of their sockets. Derrick weaved his head side to side as he weighed out their situation. “Okay, so we haven’treallybeen dating for two years—”
“And we aren’t madly in love!” Taylor whisper-shouted at him, still bug-eyed.
“I am.”
“No!” Taylor said, springing up from her chair and pointing a finger at Derrick. “Stop it. You cut that shit right now! We have a fake engagement, and people are expecting a marriage, and I think Marty already has our kids’ names picked out!”
“Austin and Adelia,” Derrick replied, deadpan.
“Stop it!”
Smirking, Derrick rolled his eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Engagement and marriage and lying to Marty are a big deal!”
“Then end it, Taylor. Save Marty from all of this heartache you think she will endure and end this.”
“Can we?”
“Sure,” Derrick said nonchalantly, “and then Preston Corp. will be sold off and all your troubles will be gone.”
Anger rolled through Taylor as she realized what Derrick had just done. “Thanks, dear. Nothing says madly in love like blackmail.”
“I am not blackmailing you, Taylor, I am just pointing out your options—”
“Which I don’t have,” she bit at him.
“I’m sorry,” Derrick said, moving toward Taylor. “I didn’t mean—”
“To make me look foolish, to give me a false sense of hope, to shove me right back into my corner?”
“To make you feel bad, damn it! Look, Tay, I know you don’t want this, but nobody is getting hurt by our ‘relationship,’” Derrick told her, putting air quotes around their relationship.
“Nope, no one,” Taylor said, grabbing her phone and magazine from the chair. “Just me,” she reminded him and shouldered her way past Derrick and into the house.
Chapter Fifteen
Every time Derrickthought Taylor was starting to relax, to let her guard down, to become more comfortable with coming home and running Preston Corp. he was proven very wrong.
It had been hours since their fight on the patio. She was right, of course, if she broke the engagement she would upset Marty, but she couldn’t, and he knew that. Throwing that little tidbit in at her was like a grenade, and Taylor had exploded. He hadn’t really thought that one through, but he also didn’t want her to think it was a possibility. Which of course meant she was the only one being forced to do what she didn’t want to do.
“ERRRRR,” Derrick grunted as his thoughts rewound and he hit the boxing bag in front of him. He had been in the gym for hours—three hours, in fact. It had taken everything that he had to not run after Taylor, but he forced himself back because what was he going to say? Sorry but you don’t have a choice and it makes me ecstatic because I have you just where I want you? It was a little too evil queen and not enough of the charming and dashing white knight he wanted to be.
Guilt was eating away at him; he was just as bad as Cedric, holding her under his thumb. Okay, so maybe not as bad as that crazy freak, but Christ, he was totally not helping her either. And speaking of eating, he hadn’t, and all this exertion was making him ravenous. And he knew Taylor probably hadn’t eaten either, and though she was likely still pissed at him, again, he needed to make sure she was okay.
He went off to find her and came up empty. When he came out of his room for the second time, he bumped into Marty.